I've visited Victoria more times than I can count and somehow the Parliament Buildings still manage to stop me in my tracks every single time. The exterior alone is one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in British Columbia. During the day, the grand dome, and maintained grounds make it feel like something you'd expect to find in a Europe than in BC. I highly recommend taking one of the free guided tours. Stepping inside reveals craftsmanship with soaring ceilings, beautiful woodwork and historic artwork. The tours are informative without feeling overwhelming and offer a fascinating look into both British Columbia's political history and the building itself. One of my favourite aspects of the tour was seeing the various royal connections and items related to the monarchy. As someone who enjoys learning about the Royal Family, I loved seeing portraits and hearing stories about visits from members of the royal family over the years. I honestly think it becomes magical at night. When all of the lights illuminate the exterior, the entire building seems to glow against the harbour. It feels almost storybook-like. read more

Parliament Buildings - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Review #1 for 2026 I was determined to go to the Parliament buildings when we did a day trip to Victoria from Vancouver. The building itself is huge from the outside and does feel a bit smaller on the inside, but it is beautiful! They do free tours and I was afraid we would not be able to catch a tour, but during the summer, they do tours everyday of the week! The tour tickets are first come first serve. We managed to get tickets for the 12pm tour the day we were there. You just go towards the entrance and there will be volunteers passing out tour tickets for the next available tour. The tours are all done by volunteers. The parliament buildings are part of British history and now used for government business. We had roughly 30 minutes before our tour. So we went and took pictures around the outside of the building. To get the entire building, you have to take a picture from the sidewalk since the building is so big. There is a water fountain in front of the building as well as across the street. There is also a massive totem pole near the building. The tour was filled with information. Make sure you go to the bathroom before they start the tour. I think the tour is about an hour long, but it flew by as all of it was so interesting and there was so much so see. I enjoyed the tour. There is a gift shop at the end of the tour. The gift shop is TINY! I ended up getting some pins as I collect them and I also bought some Parlia-Mints! Get it? HAHA. My husband loved it and had a good laugh. I think I should had gotten some more to hand out to people when I got home. It came in a cute metal container. Apparently there is also a cafe here which I would had liked to try but it was not open when we were there. Also at night, the buildings are lit up. We had to leave before the lights came on as we had a ferry to catch back to Vancouver, but the pictures I have seen look absolutely stunning. Would I come back? Yes I would! I would love to see the buildings all lit up at night... and of course I have to buy some more of those ParliaMints!! read more

Definitely a must see. Totally worth going around any demonstrations to come in as my mother was hesitant. Very historic and nice design with great artwork, ceilings, and stained glass windows. Did the self guided rather than guided tour but got to see a committee in session. read more

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We were only able to admire this building from the outside. The Parliament Buildings are a dominant feature of the Inner Harbor, residing on a 11 1/2 acres of land on the waterfront in downtown Victoria. Construction of the Parliament Buildings began in 1893 and the architect was Francis Rattenbury. Rattenbury made every effort to use local materials, resources, and expertise. The Parliament Buildings opened in February 1898. However details, refinishing, additions and upgrades were ongoing until 1915. The buildings are the official residence for the B.C. Parliament to pass laws and where the Provincial Legislative Assembly gather and discuss the direction of the province. A free, 45-minute guided tour is available to take you behind the scenes, providing a snapshot into Canadian parliamentary proceedings, and a look inside one of the city's most impressive buildings. read more

Take a stroll through history. Just walking the grounds is great with a lot to see. Monuments, grass, architecture, and a lot of people. This is a great place to stretch your legs before going next door to the museum. read more

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Wasn't much to do or see in Victoria. But the parliament building was really pretty. read more

Parliament Buildings - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Stunning building anytime of the day! It's adorned with 30,000+ lights during nights. I have been here twice now and got some of my most spellbinding pictures here. The lawn and gardens in front of it are a sight to behold as well. read more

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We went back for lunch as none of us had been there for lunch. The lunch is super eclectic and as always was delicious! Loved my shawarma salad and the jerk chicken sandwich was amazing! And as always the wait staff, Paul, is sooooo nice and he has an amazing memory! Love this spot but make a reservation for sure! read more

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Parliament buildings make an exceptional tourist stop. Do the tour! There's so much to see here and so much history. You'll get great pictures here too. I've been a few times and enjoyed every visit. read more

I didn't plan on going here until we were walking around. Went inside and saw the building including the parliament floor. Everything was free so that's always nice. They check your vaccination cards at entry. read more

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This is a very cool place to visit. The staff are friendly, and tours are readily available and free. I truly interesting and beautiful building. read more

It's hard to miss these buildings when walking around downtown Victoria! Beautiful buildings situated near the water. Definitely a tourist attraction because lots of people were around taking photos. There are several places to walk around the buildings and they make for a great photo opportunity too! read more

Parliament Buildings - Exterior view on a cloudy day - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

Overlooking James Bay, this is Victoria's human-made government landmark with a lot of historical controversy in its construction. Amazing to imagine it being built in the 1800s. In 5 years. Majestic during the day, sparkly lights at night. A definite tourist stop. read more

The Parliament Building is the place to see and visit when you go to Victoria. This is their capital building and it's pretty grand and massive. The building and architecture is something to admire and take note of. It's a picture worthy when going. The grass on the lawn is nicely well maintained, but be careful of goose poop as it is around. The Parliament building also offers free tours. You can go on a guided tour which is about 30-40 minutes or you can go on a self guided tour as well. There is a line outside the building, and the wait is pretty quick, about 5-10 minutes as they can only let a certain amount of people in, regardless of what type of tour you want to do. Upon entering, you will go past the through desk to grab a pamphlet in your language, if you want. And then you will go through a quick security check. The inside was a sight to see. It had beautiful glass windows and the ceiling was beautiful. I did not attend the tour, but I heard her. The tour guided was loud but projected without the annoying echo. All the staff were extremely knowledgeable. The area were you can walk around is quite small, you can go to the second floor as well. There is only a few spots you can walk through. There are pictures so you can also see the history. There is also a small gift shop in the building. read more

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We were pleasantly surprised at this stop. We didn't even realize you could go in, and we enjoyed spending about 20 minutes looking around. The displays were informational and tasteful! If you have a few free minutes, you should definitely stop by! read more

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Absolutely stunning building. Had I known it was free to visit inside as well I would had made more time to explore. I only enjoyed from the outside. The overall pictures are great but right in front of the fountain offers some depth to your pictures. read more

My wife and I visited in early September. The architecture and materials used in the building were a treat to see. We had a tour guide who reminded me of the the actor Robert Vaughn when he was you. Anyway, this guy has a great memory and did a great job quoting facts and relating stories! It's a really good tour . read more

Beautiful historic building that houses the legislative assembly of British Columbia. Our taxi from the Port of Victoria dropped us across the street, so we took the opportunity to visit and did a self guided tour, easy and brief. Take the time to walk to the front of the property and view the stately building set back on the large lawn. read more

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This is definitely a cool place to check out. Also its FREE!. They have a guided tour at certain times with limited numbers of tickets (meaning limited number of people they can take inside). They do not walk you in to the offices but the main hall, the meeting area and certain open areas. You do have to go through a screening area where they check your bags and stuff. This made sense. The architecture is very detail here. Very nice to see. The guided tour also gives you a history of BC and the parliament. Pretty cool inside. read more

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There are free tours of this beautiful building, its worth a stop even for a self guided tour. You will have to go through a small screening/metal detector. The architecture, detailed woodwork, murals and stained glass make this a local gem. The building is beautiful during the day and even more charming lit up at night. This is where all of the local laws are legislated and current issues of the day are discussed. Don't miss the small gift shop at the end of the building just near the exit! I dread shopping but I found my best souvenir shopping for family here, unique stuff unlike most of the shops on Government St. which all have the same cheap "junk". Found a great authentic tartan tie from Scotland and a few other items. read more

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Review #070 - 2018 So many things to see and do here, but not enough time to do and enjoy them all. It's especially hard when you have a crying two-year old who refuses to leave her mommy's side for a few minutes, because she's so attached. We showed up around 4:45 PM and the air was super cold so we had to do a really quick run around and take as many pictures as I could in a short amount of time so we could have dinner and then catch our 8 PM ferry back to Seattle. They have a horse drawn carriage for those who are looking for something fun and romantic. They have many historic buildings, statues, the wax museum and water fountains (my favorite). A lot of different restaurants nearby as well. If you have time, you should definitely stop by and do/see as much can here. read more

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Awe inspiring historical building... Still used by the British Columbia Legislature today. Guided tours are available but do a self-guided tour if you missed the guided tour times... It's all free... Takes about an hour to an hour and a half to do the walk-through. Beautiful stained glass window work, impressive Rotunda, even sit in on a Parliament hearing in action. Beautiful lights outline the building at night...be sure to take your stroll here for more pictures. (Written by husband) read more

Parliament Buildings - Night view - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

A highlight of our Victoria visit. In our first couple days in Victoria we focused on other things, but took time out to wander the beautiful grounds and take lots of Parliament pictures. Our last day we made sure to tour the interior. We had heard tours leave on the hour, but when we got there a few minutes early we hooked on with a tour in progress, which turned out to be a Princess cruise-sponsored tour. Definitely worth attending a tour if you can, although the self-guided brochure looks like it can do the job. The architecture is stunning; make sure your phone camera has lots of battery! Parliament seems to meet infrequently, so don't count on seeing a session. But the historic room where parliament meets can be viewed anytime. A small gift shop has parliament knick-knacks. read more

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Went through security entrance in the rotunda for Isabell to begin our free tour. Tours are every 20 minutes and ours lasted about 40 minutes. Our guide moved at a good pace, spoke loudly & clearly & is very knowledgeable about the architecture, history, and government. Beautiful building sitting prominently on the inner harbor. Gift shop, rest rooms & dining room were on premises. There was construction outside & viewing the totem poles & sculp read more

Night or day, it's it very picturesque. At night it is lit up around the edges and in the day, you can see the lawns, gardens, totem and statuary. I did the self-guided tour and you can pick up a brochure upon entering and ahead of the security screening. It's quite clear where you can wander and quite direct in the layout. There was a feature on women on the second floor with detail. The stained glass and architecture is beautiful. Be sure to check out the tiny gift shop on your way out. I picked up a lovely ornament and some special chocolates for friends. It's nice to have a free option when touring around Victoria. read more

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Such a great sight to see year round. Even the winter it's always a blast to come here and see the fountain ice up read more

Parliament Buildings - Downtown Victoria bc - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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Construction work going on and signs were not easily seen as to where to enter. Website poorly informed. Guide gave description of the history legislative process. Had opportunity to sit in to view a bill being debated . Before entering, we had turn everything in no purses, no cell, even no reading material(had their brochure -&I could not bring that in).felt very comfortable about turning over everything & my personal items. Once inside, silence is a must. Someone came over to us &told us we could not whisper or make any noise. Left in 5 minutes. It was not worth going into the assembly to hear them debating over a proposed bill. read more

Such a beautiful place! I loved the architecture and design of this building! Very detailed design! We loved taking pictures in front of it! A must see place next to the dock ( you can't miss it) beautiful just beautiful place to be in! We were sad that we couldn't enter and see inside but it was fine! Glad to have come! read more

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They do a free tour here pretty much every 40 minutes and well I guess it's well worth it. Can't complain about free! The tour guide was pretty knowledgeable about the history of British Columbia and the guide will take the group throughout the building in several different rooms. Keep in mind this is an active building with people working so it's just not possible to go everywhere. The architecture there is gorgeous. read more

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We visited this historical site at night during our first day in Victoria. The buildings and the surrounding garden knoll is spectacular. It overlooks James Bay Harbor, the visitors center, and the Empress Hotel parallel from it. We also were able to see it's splendor during the day, and it is just as majestic. You are able to take a self walking tour or a guided tour of portions of parliament. The ladies at the front desk were eager to answer any questions, provided maps of the inside tour as well as the back garden tours - which according to them rarely anyone does. I highly recommend the garden tour, as well as the indoor tour. We did the self guided, and found the architecture mesmerizing - mosaic tiles, painted ceilings, and stellar stain glass windows. read more

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I had some free time during a vacation tour to Victoria, BC Canada last summer and spent a couple of hours on of a self-guided tour of the Parliament Building. It was very interesting and of course covered the historical elements of how the actual architecture of the building evolved into what it looks like today. It was well worth it to soak in the beautiful architecture both inside and outside the structure. read more

Parliament Buildings - View From Outside Parliament - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Victoria, British Columbia

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An amazing building that is a must see gem of Victoria. They light up at night and free tours during the day. also very close to the Inner Harbour and Empress Hotel. pictures say it all. read more

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If you are in the area, it is a must place to visit. They offer self guide tour inside the building. read more

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Must see attraction when you are in town. When I came here, 3rd floor of the building was being renovated so could not go. There is no entry fee and guided tour is optional/available for free if you want a staff (thank you, Maria!) to explain to you about the historical significance - highly recommended! read more

A must see and so historic. Beautiful building. Guided tours with a wait. Lots of constructions while we were there.

I love how the building is all lit up at night. It's absolutely gorgeous. You must see it in the daytime & night.

I would file this under "must see" if you have never visited Victoria before. As an American, it was interesting to take the tour and learn a little more about the Parliamentary form of government, with which I was not as familiar as an adult of 37 probably should be. Plus, the inside of the Parliament building is stunning and features amazing stained glass, domes, and tile work. The tours occur hourly and are free. Tour guides are extremely knowledgeable and answer all questions, and groups are kept to a manageable size. Also: I was extremely impressed that currently three women hold the most senior positions of the legislature of British Colombia. It doesn't take long and it's free. An easy visit to a beautiful place. read more

This is a free attraction so take advantage of this historic building. If you plan ahead you can actually get tickets and watch the House in session. The basic tour is about 45 minutes with lots of wonderful photo opportunities throughout this building. Remember to go around the back of the Legislature and enjoy the gardens. read more

Parliament Tour: very interesting and well done. Easy to sign up for. We went on Saturday. As expected the building was empty which was kind of nice as you could look comfortably and without interrupting anyone. Might be interesting to go on a weekday next time. read more

We've been to Victoria several times, But never ventured into this building. A brochure in our hotel said it was open to the public, so we gave it a time slot. It's a impressive building both inside and out. We did the self guide tour, & just walked around taking pictures. It kind of reminds me of the State capitols in the USA. The staff were very friendly & welcomed us. read more